Today Hannah and I fly back home after two wonderful weeks serving Jesus together:

After 2 awesome weeks of encouraging and equipping the next generation of young leaders with Josiah Venture in the Czech Republic and East Germany, my daughter Hannah and I spent a couple of days enjoying time together…

These are my new German friends, Noah and Till. They are both 16 years old. We had a great time growing in Jesus this past week at English conversation camp in Germany.

Reaching and teaching the next generation of young catalytic Christ-centered leaders determines the long term success of the Christian church. Paul wrote to Timothy, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” ‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:1-2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It has been a privilege and pleasure to serve alongside Josiah Venture and LifePointe Church to make this past week happen. I am also thankful to God to be serving alongside my 16 year-old daughter, Hannah.

“Am I willing to die for what I believe?” I first asked this question to myself when I was 18 years old, and have asked this question many times since, most recently two days ago in Prague as took this picture of a statue commemorating John Huss.

John Huss (Pre-Reformation Reformer) was burned at the stake for his belief in the power and authority of Scripture, pointing to Jesus and the gospel of grace.

“Lord Jesus, it is for thee that I patiently endure this cruel death. I pray thee to have mercy on my enemies.” – Jan Hus (John Huss)

Early in his monastic career, Martin Luther, rummaging through the stacks of a library, happened upon a volume of sermons by John Huss, the Bohemian who had been condemned as a heretic. “I was overwhelmed with astonishment,” Luther later wrote. “I could not understand for what cause they had burnt so great a man, who explained the Scriptures with so much gravity and skill.”
Why was John Huss condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake?

Huss would become a hero to Luther and many other Reformers, for Huss preached key Reformation themes (like hostility to indulgences) a century before Luther drew up his 95 Theses. But the Reformers also looked to Huss’s life, in particular, his steadfast commitment in the face of the church’s cunning brutality.

Huss was born to peasant parents in “Goosetown,” that is, Husinec, in the south of today’s Czech Republic. (In his twenties, he shortened his name to Huss—”goose,” and he and his friends delighted in making puns on his name; it was a tradition that continued, especially with Luther, who reminded his followers of the “goose” who had been “cooked” for defying the pope).

To escape poverty, Huss trained for the priesthood: “I had thought to become a priest quickly in order to secure a good livelihood and dress and to be held in esteem by men.” He earned a bachelor’s, master’s, and then finally a doctorate. Along the way he was ordained (in 1401) and became the preacher at Prague’s Bethlehem Chapel (which held 3,000), the most popular church in one of the largest of Europe’s cities, a center of reform in Bohemia (for example, sermons were preached in Czech, not Latin).

During these years, Huss underwent a change. Though he spent some time with what he called a “foolish sect,” he finally discovered the Bible: “When the Lord gave me knowledge of Scriptures, I discharged that kind of stupidity from my foolish mind.”

The writings of John Wycliffe had stirred his interest in the Bible, and these same writings were causing a stir in Bohemia (technically the northeastern portion of today’s Czech Republic, but a general term for the area where the Czech language and culture prevailed). The University of Prague was already split between Czechs and Germans, and Wycliffe’s teachings only divided them more. Thus Huss began increasingly to trust the Scriptures, “desiring to hold, believe, and assert whatever is contained in them as long as I have breath in me.” His trust in the Jesus of the Bible would cost him his life.

On July 6, 1415, he was taken to the cathedral, dressed in his priestly garments, then stripped of them one by one. He refused one last chance to recant at the stake, where he prayed, “Lord Jesus, it is for thee that I patiently endure this cruel death. I pray thee to have mercy on my enemies.” He was heard reciting the Psalms as the flames engulfed him. (Christianity Today)

So to answer my initial question… I am willing to die for Jesus and the essentials of what I believe.

Are you willing to die for what you believe? Then live for what you believe.

Our team arrived today at a camp outside of Prague with 177 young leaders who desire to reach Central and Eastern Europe with the good news of Jesus Christ. We are here for three days to be trained in effective camp ministry.

The Mission that we are serving is Josiah Venture, whose mission is “equipping young leaders throughout Central and Eastern Europe to fulfill Christ’s commission through the local church.”

Our particular team will be serving at an English Camp for students from Leipzig, Germany. The region we are ministering to is the most atheistic region in the world. Our message is that there is a God, and he has demonstrated His love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We can know Him, and know His love for us. He has made this possible through His Son, Jesus, who died for our sins and desires to give us eternal and abundant life.

It’s great to be in this place, with so many young leaders, being equipped to fulfill God’s mission and spread the good news of His Love!!

We are back in Kathmandu, after 3 days of riding 77 miles of sweet mountain biking trails, lots of traveling on rough roads in multiple vehicles, and leaving our hearts in Kagbeni.

We donated our time, as well as $6,000 worth of bikes and equipment, to help a trusted and known Nepali start a bike business that will financially support 3 daycares that will help impoverished families.

We also were privileged to train and encourage Nepali pastors and leaders from the region to lovingly care for their villages, neighbors, and one another in the strength and grace of Jesus Christ.

Above is a pic of me, Gill, Rex, and Lance starting south on the journey back from the remote village of Kagbeni through Jomsom, Lete, Tatopani, and finishing the mountain bike exploration at Beni. We added an awesome (and hilarious) 29 year old Irishman by the name of Rory to our team (far left in the picture below) in Jomsom.

The rest of the team (Ken, Deidre, and Ryan) took ﻿a helicopter to Pokhara, where we rejoined them. Ryan took the picture below from their vehicle shortly after we left Kagbeni. You can see Nilgiri (blue mountain) in the distance.

We made some Nepali friends along the way, as you can see. Mountain biking is really catching on in Nepal.

Now that I am back with internet coverage, I plan on posting several blogs reflecting on our time in Kagbeni and Nepal.

After riding 11 hours on what felt like a mechanical bull (think rough mountain roads, deep potholes and creek crossings, and hitting your head 5 times on either the roof or side window), we arrived in Beni, Nepal, beat up but ready for the next stop on our adventure.

We were were up early, and made our way to the Darshan Christian Church in Beni for seven hours of worship, prayer, testimonies, and teaching. The entire team either taught the Bible, or shared how Jesus has made a real difference in their lives, to over seventy Nepali pastors, leaders, and believers.

We were also able to give seventy books (translated into Nepali and given by The Gospel Coalition International free of charge) to pastors and future leaders. Some of the titles given were “50 Reasons Jesus Came to Die” and “Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ,” written by John Piper.
It was a great day spending precious time encouraging and being encouraged by Nepali believers, and the entire team did a great job!!

Tomorrow, we are setting off at 6am to take another “8 second bull ride” to a town further north called Kagbeni (rougher roads and a tougher bull), to donate brand new Giant mountain bikes to help some Nepalese start a business that will be owned and operated by Nepalese to help the people of Nepal.

From the opulence of Abu Dabhi to the earthiness of Nepal, we have finally arrived in Kathmandu! All our luggage is in place and the five bike boxes are in perfect condition!!

Today, by God’s grace, I was able to teach Nepalese Christian church planters and pastors, and I learned as much from them as they learned from me. I was also able to ride on a motorcycle around Kathmandu (crazy experience), as well as share with three young ladies (from Canada, Japan, and the Netherlands) the good news of how Jesus has made a real difference in my life.
Tomorrow, the team and I travel to the Annapurna Circuit and the town of Kagbeni to help a local set up a bike rental business to support a day care center for Nepalese parents who need to work in order to make ends meet.

Here we are landing in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, before flying to Nepal. This is Abu Dhabi from the air…

While waiting for our next flight, the team and I tour the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. This is a picture from inside the court…

And from outside the mosque at dusk…

Construction of this mosque was started in 2006, and was completed on December 20, of 2007. It’s cost was 2 billion dirhams (US$545million). It is considered to be the key place of Muslim worship in the United Arab Emirates.

Because of a mechanical with the aircraft, as well as the freezing rain in Colorado, we did not get out of Denver until 3am. We are waiting in New York for our flight through Abu Dhabi, and then on to Kathmandu, Nepal. Travel will take over 40 hours to get to Nepal, but it is all in God’s timing. Lady Liberty is keeping us company while we wait…

Answer to prayer… Delta waived our bike fees of $750 for the five brand new Giant Talon mountain bikes that we are gifting to get a bicycle rental business started in Kagbeni, Nepal. Truly an answer to prayer. Thank you, Heavenly Father!
Unfulfilled expectation… We were told that Etihad Airlines did not charge for bicycles. We were wrong. The fee they charged us was $1,500 to ship the five bikes to Nepal ($300 per bike). Ouch!
God is still good,and He will provide!!

Two years ago… I traveled through Hong Kong enroute to Malaysia to serve Nepalese migrant workers.

Today… I travel to Nepal to continue the adventure of bringing both physical relief and the good news of Jesus to these beautiful Nepalese people.

As my team and I display and declare the gospel of God’s grace and His glorious love, I invite you to join us on this adventure as we aid the people of Nepal in helping them set up a self-supporting bicycle rental business and as we train and equip Nepalese pastors.